July 31, 2013

What I'm Reading: 'Beauty Queens'

I'm debating whether or not to hide the cover of the paperback novel I'm currently reading whenever I go out in public.

The cover art for Libba Bray's Beauty Queens features the toned torso of a buxom blonde armed with dozens of lipsticks. Right away, it screams "trashy beach read," and one would be correct in judging this easy-breezy book by its eye-catching cover. The truth of the matter is this: it's an unabashed piece of summery literature that's slightly smarter than it looks...

Beauty Queens is about a group of plane crash survivors trapped on a deserted island. It just so happens that these survivors are the scantily-clad contestants of the Miss Teen Dream pageant, a televised event sponsored by "The Corporation," a large conglomerate that basically controls everything in the world.

The over-the-top yet wonderfully paced book serves 396 pages of delicious satire. Everything about it -- the clueless characters, the sharp dialogue, the WTF-worthy interludes, even the clever prologue titled "A Word From Your Sponsor" -- makes for an entertaining read.

It's basically what Lord of the Flies (or Battle Royale) would look and feel like if it were documented by Bravo reality show cameras. It's a shiny, glossy commentary on the state of female roles in America as well as a suspenseful adventure begging for a big-screen adaptation (I'm pretty sure some producer has already purchased the rights).

Who is The First Echo?

Hiko Mitsuzuka is a self-proclaimed pop culture connoisseur who resides in L.A. and obsesses over pop songs months before everyone else does.
Hiko has worked in TV and commercial production ever since he left his native New York in the early 00s. He has worked at the world-renowned Anonymous Content and freelanced as a treatment writer for award-winning directors, a contributing writer for Instinct, and the Executive Editor of Hotter in Hollywood. Hiko can currently be seen in the roles of Manager of Creative Planning at Stun Creative (PromaxBDA's Agency of the Year, 2013, 2014, 2017), film critic for ScreenPicks, entertainment and travel journalist for Bello Mag, and contributor for The Huffington Post.
His hobbies include quoting sitcom dialogue and stalking people on Instagram. His vices include chocolate chip cookies and movie theater popcorn.
Tweet him @TheFirstEcho.